Move the Stone
“Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’ Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, ‘Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?’ So they took away the stone… When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out.’ The man who had died came out… Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go.’”
John 11:39-44
Jesus commands. Martha hesitates.
Her objection is reasonable. It will smell. It has been four days. He is too far gone.
How often do our excuses sound just as reasonable?The Spirit prompts you to apologize, but it feels too uncomfortable. The Word convicts you to confess sin, but it feels too exposing. You sense you should forgive, reach out, speak up, or step out, but it feels too risky.
So we explain to God why obedience is impractical.
Martha’s hesitation is human. But Jesus does not retract the command. He simply reminds her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”
They move the stone. Jesus raises the dead.
This pattern matters. We move in obedience. God moves in power. Notice what they could not do. They could not resurrect Lazarus. They could not command life. They could not recreate breath in his lungs. But they could roll a stone. Sometimes we wait for God to do what He has already asked us to do. We want Him to handle the miraculous while we avoid the simple obedience in front of us.
Then Jesus speaks. “Lazarus, come out.” It is not a request. It is a command. The same voice that spoke creation into existence now speaks recreation into a tomb.
John is intentional here. In chapter 3, Jesus speaks of being born again. In chapter 11, He shows us what that looks like. Lazarus walks out alive, but still bound in grave clothes.
That is us. We hear the Word. We come out of death. We are made alive. But we are still wrapped in old habits, old thinking, old patterns.
And Jesus turns to the community and says, “Unbind him.” Sanctification is communal. We help one another remove grave clothes. We make it easier to walk in righteousness, not harder. We help each other finish the race, not act as an obstacle in the race.
Is there a stone you need to move? Is there obedience you have delayed because it feels awkward or costly?
Do not let hesitation become disobedience. Roll the stone. Trust His voice.
And watch what only He can do.
John 11:39-44
Jesus commands. Martha hesitates.
Her objection is reasonable. It will smell. It has been four days. He is too far gone.
How often do our excuses sound just as reasonable?The Spirit prompts you to apologize, but it feels too uncomfortable. The Word convicts you to confess sin, but it feels too exposing. You sense you should forgive, reach out, speak up, or step out, but it feels too risky.
So we explain to God why obedience is impractical.
Martha’s hesitation is human. But Jesus does not retract the command. He simply reminds her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”
They move the stone. Jesus raises the dead.
This pattern matters. We move in obedience. God moves in power. Notice what they could not do. They could not resurrect Lazarus. They could not command life. They could not recreate breath in his lungs. But they could roll a stone. Sometimes we wait for God to do what He has already asked us to do. We want Him to handle the miraculous while we avoid the simple obedience in front of us.
Then Jesus speaks. “Lazarus, come out.” It is not a request. It is a command. The same voice that spoke creation into existence now speaks recreation into a tomb.
John is intentional here. In chapter 3, Jesus speaks of being born again. In chapter 11, He shows us what that looks like. Lazarus walks out alive, but still bound in grave clothes.
That is us. We hear the Word. We come out of death. We are made alive. But we are still wrapped in old habits, old thinking, old patterns.
And Jesus turns to the community and says, “Unbind him.” Sanctification is communal. We help one another remove grave clothes. We make it easier to walk in righteousness, not harder. We help each other finish the race, not act as an obstacle in the race.
Is there a stone you need to move? Is there obedience you have delayed because it feels awkward or costly?
Do not let hesitation become disobedience. Roll the stone. Trust His voice.
And watch what only He can do.
Posted in The Word Made Flesh
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